Sustainability at Pret
"Doing the right thing" is one of Pret's core values, so it's no surprise that we take sustainability very seriously, from our recipes and packaging, to our shops and supply chain. We've come a long way and still have further to go, but rising to the challenge is the right thing to do. We'll continue to share our sustainability journey and, as always, would love to hear your thoughts on how we can do more.
Doing the right thing
This is our first Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) report. We are proud to share our journey with you, and are committed to publishing future reports in order to track our progress over the years to come.
Reducing food waste
We donate our unsold food to food rescue organizations at the end of every day. Find out more about the work of The Pret Foundation.
Sourcing responsibly
Whether you're 100% plant-based, vegan-ish, or meat-free some days, eating less meat is a key way that we can all reduce our carbon footprint. So our Chef's work hard to create lots of delicious recipes that just happen to not contain any meat.
While our veggie and vegan range continues to grow, we know that many Pret favorites do contain meat. As we still want to help you make sustainable food choices, we do everything we can to source our ingredients sustainably across our supply chain and we’re committed to using meat that’s reared to higher welfare standards involving less intensive farm production systems. Our pork products are sourced from Niman Ranch, a network of US family farmers and ranchers who raise livestock sustainably and humanely with strict animal welfare protocols.
We remain committed to working towards implementing all elements of the Better Chicken Commitment. By 2024, 100% of our chicken will be produced using GAP standards for stocking density, lighting, litter and environmental enrichments. Alongside this we are working with our suppliers to ensure we are sourcing higher welfare breeds and that chickens are processed using atmospheric stunning, and although this may take longer, we are developing a roadmap to get there. To demonstrate our compliance, we will work with third-party auditors and will report progress towards meeting these standards annually.
Our Progress and Path Forward:
Litter, Lighting, and Enrichments: Currently, 100% of our chicken supply chain meets BCC standards for litter and this will form part of our quarterly animal welfare audits moving forward. By year-end 2023, 100% of our supply will meet BCC standards for enrichments and by 2024 100% will meet the lighting requirement.
Stocking Density and Higher-Welfare Breeds: By year-end 2024, 100% of our supply will meet BCC standards for stocking density and higher-welfare breeds.
Controlled Atmosphere Stunning: Currently, none of our chickens meet the BCC standards for CAS. However, we are working not only with our suppliers, but also with other brands and industry bodies on this.
We are in regular contact with our suppliers on our progress to meeting the Better Chicken Commitment and will publish a more detailed roadmap outlining key milestones on our journey by the end of 2022.
Pret's Plastic Pledge
We have made a global commitment to make the following three changes to our plastic packaging use by 2025:
1. Make it 100% recyclable, reusable or compostable Our long-term ambition is to move to an easily recyclable, plastic-free sandwich pack, made entirely from paper and cardboard. Some plastics, like films, are trickier to recycle but we are working to find innovative solutions.
2. Eliminate all unnecessary single-use plastic We have started removing unnecessary single-use plastic globally. Hot drink stoppers, teaspoons, and plastic straws are no longer welcome in Pret shops. Plastic cutlery is on its way out and we’re constantly seeking out new solutions for other pesky plastics, like our coffee cup lids.
3. Help customers to recycle effectively in our shops We’re also working with waste management companies, industry partners, NGOs, and government organisations to support improvements to waste collection and recycling. New recycling bins and signage are being trialled in our shops to make recycling easy peasy for our busy customers.
Organic Coffee
Pret's coffee is 100% organic, meaning the wildlife and environment where we farm our coffee is protected. Our delicious espresso blend is all thanks to the hardworking families of farmers who look after this land, and in return we set up Pret’s Coffee Fund in 2014 to assure practical support for the next generation of coffee farmers.